Ignorant Historian

I’m tired of going to bed alone.

I don’t mean that in a sexual sense, just that singleness seems synonymous with loneliness the most at bedtime.  I can fill the rest of my life with fulfilling relationships, but this is one area where that just won’t do.

The other night was one of those nights where I just can’t get myself to go to bed because it’s hard to remove all the distractions I use to keep from remembering I’m alone.  These nights aren’t that frequent, but when they happen, they’re overwhelming.

But Saturday I found hope in this:  These nights are numbered.  Of course, I’d like to think that they’re numbered because I’ll soon have a partner in life, but even if that’s not true (or never will be true), they are still numbered as my days on this earth are thankfully numbered.  One day, God will save me from this world (via His returning or my death) and there will be no more lonely nights, no more tears.

“And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4, NASU

If you are a follower of Christ, you have the same hope.  Whatever misery you know or trial you are facing, these days are numbered.  That’s not the only hope…we also know that God will give us the grace to handle whatever situation we find ourselves in.  But sometimes, knowing that this too shall pass is a greater comfort.

If you’re not a believer in Jesus Christ, you are right to be hopeless.  I don’t mean that there isn’t any hope–God has/is offering you the same hope in Jesus Christ–but if you refuse this hope, life really is hopeless.

These nights will continue to be hard, but I’ll take heart in remembering that they are numbered.

Photo by Gord McKenna

Thanks for all your suggestions yesterday.  I’ve taken them to heart, and hope to show you a little more of my day-to-day life tomorrow.  Stay tuned!

From time to time, I discuss controversial subjects, the most common of which is abortion.  In these, I’m quick to vilify this abhorent practice and point out what I see as the religious, moral, social, humanitary, and logical reasons against it.  I don’t wish to undermine or backtrack from any of these posts, but there is something that I’ve missed sharing.

I believe there is hope for those who have received abortions, counseled others to receive abortions, and performed abortions, just as there is hope for all sinners, not the least of whom is me.

Without the grace of God, I would be unable to write this post today.  He not only sustains me, provides me with intelligence and a voice, and gave me life, he has given me new life that I may serve Him…when all I had done for Him is spit in His face.

Abortion hurts.  The mother is left not only with physical wounds, but emotional ones.  No matter how much a woman may not want to be or feel she is qualified to be a mother, she probably recognizes on some level a desire to nurture.  Maybe she even wanted this child, and felt pressured into giving him up.  Perhaps there are some women who can have an abortion and truly treat it like any other procedure, but I imagine that’s a rare thing.  Besides, numbness is an emotional reaction, too.

So, today, I’m praying especially for those who have been down that dark road.  Remember, God still loves you and wants to comfort you.  Please feel free to email me if you want to talk about this subject: ronnica (at) ignoranthistorian (dot) com.

“But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8, NASU

In spite of the gloomy weather, the impending crowning of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and the prospect of tomorrow’s New Testament test, I’m feeling upbeat. You know why? Because none of this caught God off guard. He’s not thinking, “Uh oh! What do I do now?” What allows me to be filled with joy in this world of shifting sand is the constancy of the Creator who is ever faithful and ever true to His words that He’s so generously recorded for us in the Bible. Instead of looking at the waves and the wind, I need to focus on the steady arm of our Heavenly Father and the marvelous work done by His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross.

What pessimism those who don’t have an all powerful, all good God must have! Where lies their hope? In themselves? I know I frequently let myself down. In humanity? One look at the many genocides and wars of the 2oth century would cloud your outlook at any hope of an utopian society. In money? One tumultuous day on the stock market or one thief could take that all away. In a loved one? They may be here today, and gone tomorrow.

No, these things provide little realistic hope that tomorrow will be better than today, or that today will even be better than yesterday. Instead, let me join with Habakkuk and say,

Though the earthly things I counted on do not come to pass,
Though my money and resources are taken away,
Though the people around me fail me,
And though the political future looks dim,
“Yet I will exult in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And make me walk on my high places.”
-Habakkuk 3:18-19 NAS-U

Thank you for allowing me to candidly speak from my heart.